Webb City holds off Holt to win Missouri Class 5 title
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When the Missouri Class 5 championship game ended on Friday night, the winning team was guaranteed to make history. Either undefeated Holt would win the first state title in school history or Webb City would win its 16th state title,…
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Continue ReadingWhen the Missouri Class 5 championship game ended on Friday night, the winning team was guaranteed to make history.
Either undefeated Holt would win the first state title in school history or Webb City would win its 16th state title, the most in Missouri High School Activities Association history.
In the end, it was the Webb City Cardinals, one of the best stories of the postseason, who held off a furious late comeback attempt by Holt to emerge with a 26-21 victory and the record 16th state championship.
Webb City (11-3) leaned on its formidable rushing attack, which gained 277 yards at an average of 4.7 per attempt, and an opportunistic defense that corralled three Holt (13-1) turnovers.
PLAYERS OF THE GAME
WEBB CITY (11-3)
RB Cade Wilson Cade Wilson 5'8" | 160 lbs | RB Webb City | 2022 MO 2022
The Cardinals leading rusher on the season, Wilson ran 31 times for 162 yards and two touchdowns, his 26th and 27th of the season. He averaged 5.2 yards per carry.
RB DuPree Jackson DuPree Jackson 5'11" | 160 lbs | RB Webb City | 2022 MO 2022
Jackson had another strong game. He rushed 21 times for 104 yards and two touchdowns. He averaged 5.0 yards per carry. On defense, he recorded three tackles and had the game-clinching interception near the goal line on Holt’s final play.
OL Braeden Jackson Braeden Jackson 6'3" | 270 lbs | OL Webb City | 2022 State MO 2022
A 6-foot-3, 270-pounder, Jackson anchors the Webb City offensive line that drives the Cardinals up front. In addition to gaining 277 yards rushing and averaging 4.7 yards per carry, Webb City’s offense had the ball for more than twice as long as Holt in time of possession (32:19 to 15:41), converted 60 percent of third-down attempts (9-15) and 75 percent of fourth-down attempts (3-4). Jackson has offers from Evangel, Benedictine and MidAmerica Nazarene.
HOLT (13-1)
RB Kyle Wuebbeling Kyle Wuebbeling 6'0" | 180 lbs | RB Holt | 2022 State MO 2022
Wuebbeling had another big game, rushing 12 times for 120 yards and a touchdown that gave Holt an early lead. In his final five games of the season, Wuebbeling racked up 793 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns. He finished with 1,751 rushing yards and 24 total touchdowns.
QB Owen Merrell Owen Merrell 5'10" | 205 lbs | ATH Holt | 2023 State MO 2023
Making his first varsity start in the state championship game because of standout Cooper Brown Cooper Brown 6'3" | 205 lbs | QB Holt | 2022 State MO ’s injury, Merrell showed he’s a gamer. He wasn’t perfect, but he gave Holt a chance to win with the team’s late fourth-quarter rally. Merrell completed 13 of 23 passes for 173 yards, with two touchdowns and one interception, ran 14 times for 19 yards and recorded a 13-yard reception.
LB-WR Isaiah Slaughter Isaiah Slaughter 5'11" | 205 lbs | DB Holt | 2022 State MO 2022
Slaughter made an impact on both sides of the ball. He had three receptions for 76 yards and a touchdown and also recorded 13 tackles. Slaughter’s 31-yards touchdown reception with 1 minute 46 seconds remaining cut the deficit to five points.
LB Zakhi Johnson Zakhi Johnson 5'10" | 190 lbs | LB Holt | 2022 State MO 2022
The tackling machine had another big game with a game-high 17 tackles, giving him 155 for the season.
You can follow Nate Latsch on Twitter at @natelatsch.